Traineeships in the European Parliament

Parliament offers several options for traineeships within its Secretariat, to provide opportunities for vocational training and for learning more about what the European Parliament is and does.

Traineeships for university graduates - General Option or Journalism Option (Schuman Scholarships)

Traineeships for university graduates are intended to enable trainees to supplement the knowledge which they acquired during their studies and to familiarise themselves with the activities of the European Union and, in particular, the European Parliament.

These traineeships cover:

Robert Schuman scholarships, general option

Robert Schuman scholarships, journalism option.

Applicants for a traineeship for university graduates must.

be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or an applicant country, without prejudice to the provisions of article 5 paragraph 2 of the Internal rules;

be aged 18 or over on their traineeship starting date;

have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union;

not have been awarded any other traineeship or have been in paid employment for more than four consecutive weeks at the expense of the European Union budget.

Applicants for Robert Schuman scholarships, journalism option, must demonstrate professional experience as evidenced either by works published, or by membership of an association of journalists in a Member State of the European Union, or by a qualification in journalism recognised in the Member States of the European Union or in the applicant countries.

These traineeships are awarded for a period of five months which cannot be extended.

To apply for the traineeship you must fulfil the conditions and complete the online application form.

We advise you not to wait until the last day to apply, to prevent the system from becoming overloaded because there are a large number of applications.

When applying online, you have a maximum of 30 minutes to complete each page of the application form. Please note that if you leave your application form inactive for 30 minutes, the data you have entered will be lost. We therefore advise you to read carefully the 'Internal rules governing traineeships and study visits in the Secretariat of the European Parliament' and the Frequently Asked Questions before filling in the application form.

In order to apply to those Directorates-General that best suit your profile, you can read their description via the information button on the last page of the application form or visit the website of the Secretariat of the European Parliament.

The application cannot be changed online and is completed and submitted in a single operation. After filling in your application please make sure that it is correct and complete before submitting it.

You may send only one application for one traineeship option. In case of multiple applications for one option we will keep only the most recent one.

NB: Any incomplete applications will automatically be rejected.

Once you have confirmed/sent your online application you will automatically receive a confirmation message to your email address.The message contains a confirmation number that you should quote in all future correspondence concerning the traineeship and the summary of your application in pdf format, a paper version of which will be requested, if we offer you a traineeship

The European Parliament offers young people who have a secondary-school leaving certificate (obtained before the deadline for applications) corresponding to the level required for entry to university, or who have completed a higher or technical course to an equivalent level, the opportunity to undertake training placements.Priority is given to young people who are required to complete a training placement as part of their course of study, provided that they have reached the age of 18 by the first day of the placement.

Training placements are awarded for periods of between one and four months, with the possibility of exceptions.

(1) Non-compulsory training placements

Starting dates and deadlines for receipt of applications for non-compulsory training placements:

Parliament can accept applicants who meet the general conditions of admission and for whom a training placement is a compulsory requirement:

as part of a course of study at a university or at an educational establishment of an equivalent standard,

in high-level vocational training organised by a non-profit-making body (notably public institutes or bodies),

as a prerequisite for access to a profession,

subject to the submission of supporting documentation from the body that grants access to the profession in question.

Starting dates and deadlines for receipt of applications for compulsory training placements:

Deadline for receipt of applications: 1 October Start of placement: Between 1 January and 30 April

Deadline for receipt of applications: 1 February Start of placement: Between 1 May and 31 August

Deadline for receipt of applications: 1 June Start of placement: Between 1 September and 31 December

In order to apply for a training placement you must meet the conditions of admission and must fill in the online application form.

We advise you not to wait until the last day to apply, as a large influx of applications is liable to overload the system.

Please note that if you leave your application form inactive for 30 minutes, the data you have entered will be lost. We therefore advise that, before filling in the form, you read carefully the Internal Rules Governing Traineeships and study visits in the secretariat of the European Parliament and the Frequently asked questions.

To help you direct your application to the directorates-general (DGs) that best suit your profile, you can read a description of all the DGs via the information button on the last page of the application form, or consult the EP secretariat website.

The application cannot be changed online and is completed and submitted in a single operation. When you have filled in your application form online, check it over before you click 'send'.

Please note that any incomplete applications will automatically be rejected.

Once you have confirmed/sent your online application you will automatically receive a confirmation message at your e-mail address. The message contains a confirmation number that you should quote in all future correspondence concerning the training placement, as well as an attachment enabling you to access in pdf format the summary of your application, a paper version of which will be requested if we offer you a placement.

The European Parliament promotes equality of opportunity and encourages applications from women and men with disabilities for its traineeship programmes.

The European Parliament is offering paid traineeships to persons with disabilities, as a positive action measure aimed at facilitating the integration of people with disabilities in the workplace.

These traineeships are open both to graduates of universities or equivalent institutions and to people whose qualifications are below university level. (Article 22 of the Internal Rules Governing Traineeships and Study Visits in the Secretariat of the European Parliament which concerns the academic qualifications needed for admission to a paid traineeship thus does not apply to this programme.)

The main purpose of this programme is to offer a number of people with disabilities a meaningful and valuable work experience, and an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the activities of the European Parliament.

These traineeships are awarded for a period of five months which cannot be extended. Please note that traineeships do not give trainees the right to future employment in the European Parliament: officials are recruited on the basis of competitions organised by EPSO; contract staff is employed on the basis of the calls for expression of interest published by EPSO.

Starting dates and application periods.

Application period: 15 August - 15 October (midnight) Beginning of traineeship: 1 March

Application period: 15 March - 15 May (midnight) Beginning of traineeship: 1 October

We advise you not to wait until the last day to apply, to prevent the system from becoming overloaded because there are a large number of applications.

Applicants for this programme must:

be nationals of a Member State of the EU or of an applicant country;

be over 18 years of age on the traineeship starting date;

have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU;

not have been awarded any other traineeship, or have been in paid employment for more than four consecutive weeks at the expense of the European Union budget;

be able to certify that they have a disability/ies (medical certificate or disability certificate/card issued by a national authority).

If you are among the preselected candidates chosen by the respective Directorate-General, you will be asked to provide the following documents:

a document certifying your disability/ies, recognised in a Member State of the European Union or in an applicant country

a duly completed reasonable accommodation formPlease note that all efforts will be made to meet your needs, to the best of our ability and within reason (to be determined by the committee responsible for reasonable accommodation). Completing this form does not constitute a guarantee that all requested measures will be carried out.

Your diagnosis and a summary of your medical history, both translated into English or French, in a sealed envelope marked "confidential"

a copy of your passport or identity card;

a copy of your most recent study certificate, or university diploma(s), if applicable;

a duly signed application form

Please note that any information you provide about your disability will be treated in a strictly confidential manner and only by European Parliament staff responsible for analysing possible reasonable accommodation with the purpose of providing the specific adaptations in the workplace and of facilitating your search for accessible housing, transport and assistance.

If you are selected, the following documents will be requested:

the traineeship agreement;

the confidentiality undertaking signed by you.

If you are interested in a traineeship under this option, please read the description of the Traineeship programme for people with disabilities, Internal Rules Governing Traineeships and Study Visits in the Secretariat of the European Parliament, and the practical information concerning Brussels and Luxembourg.

Please note that the traineeship placements are available primarily in Brussels and Luxembourg.

If you fulfil the conditions for admission, please complete the online application form. Please note that if you leave your online application form inactive for 90 minutes, the data you have entered will be lost. The application is completed and submitted in a single operation and cannot be changed afterwards. After filling in your application please make sure that it is complete before submitting.

Once you have confirmed/sent your online application you will automatically receive a confirmation message at your email address. The message contains a confirmation number that you should quote in all future correspondence concerning the traineeship and the link to the summary of your application in pdf format, a paper version of which will be requested, if we offer you a traineeship.

Should you not be able to fill in the online application form, please contact the Traineeships Office (stages@europarl.europa.eu) by e-mail to receive an application form in Word-format.

These traineeships are awarded only to graduates of universities or equivalent institutions. Their purpose is to enable trainees to supplement the knowledge acquired during their studies and to familiarise themselves with the activities of the European Union and,in particular, the European Parliament.

Applicants for a translation traineeship for university graduates must:

be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or a candidate country;

be aged 18 or over on the traineeship start date;

have obtained, before the deadline for submission of applications, a university degree following a course of study of at least three years' duration;

have a perfect knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union or the official language of an candidate country and a thorough knowledge of two other official languages of the European Union;

not have been awarded any other traineeship or have been in paid employment for more than four consecutive weeks at the expense of the European Union budget.

Translation traineeships for university graduates are awarded for a period of three months. Exceptionally, they may be extended for a maximum period of three months.

Traineeship periods and the corresponding deadlines for applications:

Start of traineeship: 1 January Application period: 15 June - 15 August (midnight)

Start of traineeship: 1 April Application period: 15 September -15 November (midnight)

Start of traineeship: 1 July Application period: 15 December - 15 February (midnight)

Start of traineeship: 1 October Application period: 15 March - 15 May (midnight)

We advise you not to wait until the last day to apply, as a large number of applications is liable to overload the system.

Translation trainees are assigned to Luxembourg.

By way of indication, in 2013 the scholarship represents EUR 1 213.55 per month.

If you are interested in a translation traineeship for university graduates, please read the Internal Rules Governing Translation Traineeships.

Please note the conditions of admission. If you are preselected, the following will be required as supporting documents:

the application form, duly completed and signed,

a copy of your passport or identity card,

copies of your diplomas and certificates,

a copy of your university results, if you have them.

The supporting documents should not be sent at this stage. You will only be asked to supply them if you pass the preselection stage.

If you are preselected for a traineeship, your application will be deemed valid only if you provide the full set of documents listed above.

If you fulfil the conditions for admission, please complete the online application form.

Please note that if you leave your application form inactive for 30 minutes, the data you have entered will be lost. We therefore advise you to read the Internal Rules Governing Translation Traineeships carefully before filling in the application form.

Once submitted, the application cannot be changed online,and it is completed and submitted in a single operation. A sample form is available (see link below) to help you prepare your application before you submit it online.

NB: You should keep a copy of the number allocated to you when you validate your online application.

The European Parliament offers the opportunity to undertake translation training placements to applicants who have, before the deadline for applications, obtained a secondary-school leaving certificate corresponding to the level required for entry to university or who have followed a higher or technical course of study to an equivalent level. Such placements are intended in particular for applicants who are required to complete a training placement as part of their course of study, provided they have reached the age of 18 by the first day of the training placement.

Applicants for a translation training placement must :

be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or a candidate country ;

be aged 18 or over on the traineeship start date

have a perfect knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union or the official language of a candidate country and a thorough knowledge of two other official languages of the European Union

not have been awarded any other traineeship or have been in paid employment for more than four consecutive weeks at the expense of the European Union budget.

Translation training placements are awarded for a period of between one and three months. Exceptionally, they may be extended fora maximum period of three months.

Training placement periods and the corresponding deadlines for applications:

We advise you not to wait until the last day to apply, as a large number of applications is liable to overload the system.

Translation training placements are located in Luxembourg.

Trainees following a translation training placement will receive a monthly allowance

By way of indication, in 2013 the allowance amounts to EUR 300 a month

If you are interested in a translation training placement, please read the Internal Rules Governing Translation Traineeships

Please note the conditions of admission. If you are preselected, the following will be required as supporting documents:

the application form, duly completed and signed,

a copy of your passport or identity card,

copies of your diplomas and certificates,

and a copy of your university results, if you have them.

The supporting documents should not be sent at this stage. You will only be asked to supply them if you pass the preselection stage.

If you are preselected for a training placement,your application will be deemed valid only if you provide the full set of documents listed above.

If you fulfil the conditions for admission, please complete the online application form.

Please note that if you leave your application form inactive for 30 minutes, the data you have entered will be lost. We therefore advise you to read the Internal Rules Governing Translation Traineeships carefully before filling in the application form.

Once submitted, the application cannot be changed online,and it is completed and submitted in a single operation. A sample form is available (see link below) to help you prepare your application before you submit it online.

NB : You should keep a copy of the number allocated to you when you validate your online application.

The European Parliament's Directorate-General for Interpretation and Conferences does not provide basic training to linguists who want to specialise in conference interpreting, since under the principle of subsidiarity this is the responsibility of the national authorities in the Member States.

If you already hold a qualification in conference interpreting and your language combination is relevant to the institution then you should consider applying for an accreditation test or an open competition (see Interpreting for Europe).

Other possibilities

If you are interested in becoming a conference interpreter, but you are not yet qualified, a number of universities in Europe offer courses leading to a qualification in translation and interpreting. For a list of universities offering full-time courses see the link below.

So if you already have a degree in any subject, but you would still like to train to be a conference interpreter, you may be interested to know that this «European Masters» is offered at a number of higher education institutions.